The present disclosure relates to wound treatment apparatus for use with vacuum bandages of the type that dispenses fluid to a wound and draws fluid away from the wound.
Medical professionals, such as nurses and doctors, routinely treat patients having surface wounds of varying size, shape, and severity. It is known that controlling the topical atmosphere adjacent a wound can enhance the healing process. For example, by applying medicinal agents or even water over a wound, dirt and bacteria are either killed or washed away, thereby promoting healing. In addition, applying a negative pressure or vacuum to a wound draws out exudate, which might contain dirt and bacteria, from the wound to further promote healing.
Conventional treatment of a surface wound involves placement of a packing or dressing material, such as cotton, gauze, or other bandage-like material directly in contact with the patient's wound. Often there is a need to change the dressing material frequently because it becomes saturated with exudate discharged from the wound. Some dressings include an apparatus attached thereto for applying a vacuum through the bandage to the wound to draw exudate and promote healing.
According to the present disclosure, a method for calibrating a control unit adapted to provide a negative pressure through a vacuum wound bandage associated with a wound of a patient comprises positioning a first pressure sensor in communication with the control unit. The method comprises correlating a first output of a second pressure sensor of the control unit to a first calibration pressure when the first pressure sensor senses the first calibration pressure and correlating a second output of the second pressure sensor to a second calibration pressure when the second pressure sensor senses the second calibration pressure.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, the control unit comprises an alarm and a display. The display displays an alarm log providing information associated with each activation of the alarm.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a wound treatment apparatus is adapted for use with the vacuum wound bandage associated with the wound of the patient to provide negative pressure through the vacuum wound bandage to the wound. The wound treatment apparatus comprises a user input control and an electronic display displaying information comprising a graphical representation of the user input control and text associated with the graphical representation to instruct a user when to operate the user input control. In some embodiments, the electronic display displays information that instructs the user how to operate the wound treatment apparatus during normal operation of the wound treatment apparatus and the information is executable to operate the wound treatment apparatus when the display is displaying the information.
Additional features and advantages of the apparatus will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed descriptions exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the apparatus as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates several embodiments of the apparatus, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any manner.